Contact the 3 major credit bureaus.

You should call and write all three of the major credit bureaus listed below.  An automated answering system will ask you to enter your social Security number and other information to identify yourself.  You can flag your file with a 90 day fraud alert that prevents a thief from opening new accounts in your name.  Each credit bureau will send you a letter to confirm your alert and give instructions on how to receive a free copy of your credit report.  The report will contain a phone number of a contact in the credit bureau's fraud department.  Sample letters 

Experian 1-888-397-3742 P.O. Box 9532 Allen, TX 75013
Equifax 1-800-525-6285 P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
TransUnion 1-800-680-7289 P.O. Box 6790 Fullerton, CA 92834

Contact the police

Under Illinois law, you can report identity theft to your local Police Department.  Ask them to issue a police report and give them as much information on the theft as possible.  Provide copies of your credit reports that highlight only the items related to the identity theft.  Remember to update police with any new evidence you collect.  Be sure to get a copy of the police report, because you will need to give copies to creditors and credit bureaus.

Request info on fraudulent accounts.

When you write to creditors with whom the thief opened or applied for accounts, send copies of the forms along with copies of the police report.  Give the information you receive from creditors to the officer investigating your case.
Sample letters 

Call creditors.

Check with creditors to determine if the thief has opened or used those accounts.  Examples of creditors are credit card companies, other lenders, phone companies, utility companies, and department stores.  Tell them you are an identity theft victim and ask them not to hold you responsible for new accounts opened by the thief.  If an existing account has been used fraudulently, ask the creditor to close the account and report it to the credit bureaus as "closed at consumers request".  Ask for copies of documentation on the fraudulent account.  If you open a new account, require it to have a password or PIN for access.  Don't use your mother's maiden name or the last four numbers of your Social Security Number for any password! 
Sample letters 

Review your credit reports.

When you receive your credit reports, read them carefully.  Look for accounts you don't recognize and accounts you haven't requested.  Items listed as "promotional" are not signs of fraud, these occur when a company has received your name and address from a credit bureau simply to send you an offer for credit.  Reporting identity theft will stop unsolicited credit offers.  Also look in the personal information section to verify your Social Security number, name, and address.

If you find something you don't understand, call the credit bureau at the telephone numbers listed on that report.  Tell them you want to block or remove any information on the report resulting from identity theft (you must provide a police report to support this request).  Order new credit reports every three months or so until your situation has been cleared.  You may have to pay for the report, but ask for free additional copies as an identity theft victim.

Use the ID Theft Affidavit.

Creditors may ask you to fill out fraud affidavits.  The Federal Trade Commission's ID Theft Affidavit is accepted by the credit bureaus and by most major creditors.  Send copies of the completed forms to creditors with whom the thief opened accounts in your name.  Also send copies to creditors where the thief made charges on your account, to the credit bureaus, and to the police.

The form is available on the FTC Web site at:  www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/resources/forms/affidavit.pdf

Theft of checks, ATM card, or bank information.

Call the bank and close your account.  Open a new one with a new account number.  Tell the bank you want a new password for access to the new account.  Ask the bank to notify the check verification company it uses, and report the stolen checks to the verification companies that retail stores use. 

You can also contact major check verification companies.  Ask them to notify retailers who use their databases not to accept checks on your closed accounts.  Call TeleCheck at 1-800-710-9898 and Certegy Inc. at 1-800-437-5120.  To find out if the identity thief has passed bad checks in your name, call SCAN at 1-800-262-7771.  Follow up by writing to your bank.  Send your letter by certified mail with a return receipt requested.
Sample letters 

If a debt collector contacts you...   

Tell the debt collector you are an identity theft victim and you are disputing the validity of the debt.  Send the collector a follow up letter reiterating that information and include copies of your police report and any documents received from the creditor.  Send the letter by certified mail with a return receipt requested.  If the collector is not the original creditor, be sure to send your letter within 30 days of receiving the collector's first written demand for payment.
Sample letters 

Stolen mail or changed address

Notify the Postal Inspector if you think an identity thief has stolen your mail or filed a change of address request in your name.  To find the nearest Postal Inspector, look in the white pages of the telephone book for the Post Office listing under the United States Government.  You may also go to the Postal Inspection Service's Web site at:  www.usps.com/websites/depart/inspect

If someone uses your Social Security number...

It's a good idea to check your social Security earnings record to see if a thief is using your Social Security number for fraudulent purposes.  You can get a copy of your record by calling 1-800-772-1213 or obtain a request form at:  www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-7004.html

If a thief is using your Social Security number, call the Social Security fraud hotline at
1-800-269-0271.  You can also read "Identity Theft and Your Social Security Number" at:  www.ssa.gov/pubs/10064.html

For more information on identity theft and to obtain sample letters to credit bureaus and creditors, call the Tinley Park Crime Prevention Office at 708-444-5326 or visit www.tinleyparkpolice.org